Rack



Aug.4 13, 1963 w. R. BuEcHLER RACK United States Patent 3,100,574 RACK William R. Buechler, Birmingham, Mich., assigner to Thompson Industries, Inc., Indianapolis, Ind., a corporation of Massachusetts 4 1 Filed Aug. 22, 1961, Ser. No. 133,162 6 Claims. (Cl. 2li- 177) .'Ilhis invention (relates, generally, toiracks and it has particular relation to 'demountable racks.

In industrial warehousing and other applications there is a need tor sturdy, well built storage racks that can be quickly and easily assembled and disassembled and yet are capable of supporting heavy loads. The present invention provides such `a rack construction and particularly relates to the :demountable fastening means between the uprights of such a rack and the interconnecting transverse or shelf members.

Amon-g the objects of this invention are: To provide for simply and eficiently assembling and disassembling racks in a new and improved manner; to provide for supponting one or more `transverse rack members on spaced apart upright members in such a way that they can be readily assembled and are capable of sustaining relatively heavy loads; and to employ for the upright members angle shaped members having slots in facing flanges extending downwardly rfrom the corners of the angles and clearance slots in the adjacent anges 'forming with the respective inclined slots upstanding nose portionsr atthese corners having downwardly inclined sides tor detachably and wedgingly receiving downwardly opening detents in the corners of angle shaped transverse plate members at the ends of tranverse members extending between the upright members.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1. is a view, in iront elevation, of a typical rack in which the present invention is embodied.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a section of one of the angle shaped lupright support members and one of the angle shaped transverse plates arranged for detachable mounting thereon.

FIG. 3 `is a vertical sectional view taken generally along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of one of the angle shaped transverse plates.

Reiferringfnow particularly to the drawing, 'it will be observed that the reference character designates, generally, a rack which includes angle shaped upright support mem-bers 11-11 that may be generally box shaped that are arrnged to be interconnected by transverse members 12 which act as shelves for supports to reeive the material to be piled thereon. As shown in FIG. 2 a transverse member y12 may have a step 13 on its rear side but it will be understood `that other coniigurations can be employed as may be desired.

As pointed out, each angle shaped upright support member 11 is generally box shaped and, as shown in FIGS. l and 2, the upright support members 11-t-11 hav'edlanges 14--14 facing each other and lflanges 15-p-15 that are coplanar and extend at right angles `from the facing flanges 14-14. The box like structure is `completed by flanges 16-16 that extend parallel to the facing anges 1\4-14. One of the 'rear sides is shown in FIG. 2 and it comprises flanges 17-17 with a. slot 18 therebetween. lit will be understood that, if desired, only upright support members provided with flanges 14 and can be employed. However, the box` like constnuction is preferred in onder to `provided the required strength and rigidity.

Provision is made for mounting the transverse members 12 on the angle shaped upright support membersv 11--11 by angle members, indicated w19- 19, which "ice are welded or otherwise secured to the ends of the respective transverse member 12. As shown `in FIG. 2 each angle member 19 includes aiiiange 20' that is arranged to overlie the facing flange 14 of the respective support member 11 and also includes a iiange 21 lthat is arranged to overlie the respective coplanar flange 15. The junction between the flanges 20 and 21 is indicated at 22 in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4. Here it will be observed that upper support sections 23-23 and lower support sections 24-24 are pressed out by a suitable forming operation lfrom the ilanges 20 and 21 so as to provide what may be termed a half tent shape leaving openings 25-25 there-below.l It will be understood that the support sections 23`23 and 24-24 can be formed by suitable metal working apparatus.

Referring now particularly to the construction of the portion of the upright support member 11 as shown in FIG. 2, it will be noted that the danges 14 and 15 extend at right angles to eac-h other ,from a junction 26 therebetween and that the facing harige-14 is provided with downwardly inclined slots 27 and 28 that extend from thewjunotion 26. The coplanar flange 15 is provided with clearance slots 29 and 30 that extend from the junction 26 and open into the upper ends of the inclined slots 27 and 28. 'I'he result of the provision of the downwardly inclined slots 27 and 28 in conjunction with the clearance slots 29 and 30 is to leave upstanding nose portions 31 and 32 one above the other along the junction 26 between the anges 14 and 15 for receiving the detents formed by the yupper support sections 23-23 and lower support sections 24-24.

In assembling therack 1t), the angle shaped upright support members 11-'11 are suitably `rigidly mounted on a support surface 33 which may be a floor or the like. 'Ihey are mounted in parallel spaced .relation with the flanges 14-14 4facing each other and the flanges 15--15 extending therefrom in coplanar relation. Next the transverse members -12 having the angle members 19-19 at their ends are assembled on the upright support members 11-11 .one by one. For this purpose each transverse member 12 is moved horizontally toward the upright support members 11--11 and in the vicinity of one pair of the several pairs otl upstanding nose portions 31 and 32. rIlhemovement continues with the flanges 20` being positionedin overlying relation with respect to the fac- `ing ilanges `14--14 and the support sections 23--23 and 24-24 are moved into the clearance slots 29 and 30 respectively. p y This movement continues until the flange 21 overlies the respective iange` 15.. rl`his movement is performed in such manner that the lower edges `of the support sections 23-23 and 24-124 are above the upper ends ot the nose portions 31 and 32. Alfter each transverse member 12 has been moved to` the position described, it is then moved downwardly so that the :nose portions `31 and 32 are positioned inside of the support sections 23-23 and 24-24 with the arrangement being such that a wedging engagement is eiected resulting-trom the relative inclinations of the sides of the nose portions 31 and 32 with respect to the inner surraces of the support sections 23-23 and 24-24. As a result of this |wed-ging action the flan-ges 2t) and 21 are mov-ed solidly flush against the surfaces of the flanges 14and 1S on the respective support members lil-11;

When the rack 10A isy assembled in the manner described, it will be apparent that subsequent application of load to the transverse members 12 increases the we'dging action between `the support sections 23-23 and 24-24 with the upstanding nose portions 31 and 32.'

This tightly locks the transverse members 12 to the angle Vshaped upright suppont members 11-11 and y secures them rigidly together. Moreover, the use of the inclined slots 27-28 and the clearance slots 29-30 in conjunction with the support sections 23-23 and 24-24 in the angle members 19-19 provides a rigid torsional resisting structurel in both planes of the angle members 19-19.

The rack can be disassembled readily merely by striking a sharp blow on therbottom side of the transverse member ll'adjacent the respective upright support member 11. This breaks the friction wedging action described above with the result that the transverse member `12 can be readily lifted up and awayrrom the upright support members 11-11.

By using multiple arrangements of the inclined slots 27-28 and the associated clearance slots 29-30 at different spacings along the upright support members 11- 11, it is possible to adjust tne transverse members 12. to dierent vertical spacings as may be desired.

Since certain further chan-ges can be made in the foregoing construction and )different embodiment of the invention can be `made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it is intended that all matter shown in the accompanying drawin-g and described hereinbefore shall 'be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed as new is:

1. Ademountable rack comprising, in combination, a pair of angle shaped upright support members having flanges facing each other in parallel spaced relation and coplanar anges extending from said parallel anges, each parallel ilange having a downwardly inclined slot extendingfrom its junction with its coplanar ilange,'each coplanar ilange having a clearance slot extending from the respective junction and defining with the respective inclined slot an upstanding nose portion having downwardly inclined sides, a tranverse member extending between said support members andhaving at each end an angle shaped member whose anges overlie respectively the facing and coplanar flanges of the respective supportV of, each facing flange of each support member having a downwardly .inclined slot extending from its junction with its coplanar ange, each coplanar ange having a clearance slot extending from the respective junction and deiining with the respective slot an Vupstanding nose portion having downwardly inclined sides for receiving said support sections `on said angle members whereby said transverse member is detachably mounted at its ends on said support members.

4. A demountable rack comprising, in combination, a pair of horizontally spaced support members having facing flanges and coplanar ilanges extending therefrom, a transverse member extending between said support members and havingfat its ends angle shaped members the ilanges of which overlie the flanges of said support members, eachangle member having upper and lower support sections extendinglaterally and downwardly from each flange thereof, each facing ange of each support member having upper and lower downwardly inclined slots extending from its junction with its coplanar ilange, each coplanar flange having upper and lower clearance slots extending trom the respective junction and dening with the respective slot an upstanding nose portion having downwardly inclined sides for receiving said support sections on said angle members whereby said transverse member is detachably mounted at its ends on said supprort members.

5. A ydemountable rack comprising, in combination, a pair of horizontally spaced support members of angle shape having facing anges and other flanges angularly related thereto, a transverse member extending` between said support members and having at its ends angle shaped members the flanges of which toverlie the flanges off said support members, each angle member-'of the transverse member havinga support section extending laterally and downwardly from each ange thereof, each facing flange of each support member having a downwardly inclined slot extending from its junction with the respective other flange, teach .other flange having a clearance slot extenda pair `of'angle shaped Vupright support members having l flanges facing each other in parallel spaced relation and coplanar flanges extending from said parallel ilanges,

each parallel dlange having a pair of downwardly inclined vjunction thereof in overlying relation to 'therespective inclined side of the respective nose portion whereby said transverse member is detachably mounted at its ends on said support members. j f

3. A demountable rack comprising, in combination, a

Y pair of horizontally spaced support members having facing flanges and coplanar flanges extending therefrom, a

ytransverse member extending between said support members and having at its ends angle shaped members the flanges of which overlie the -anges of sai-d support members, each ang-le member having a support section extending laterally and downwardly from each flange there` members and having at each end an angle member whose flanges overlie respectively the racing and coplanar auges j of the respective support member, each rst ange having a downwardly inclined slot extending trom the corner of Ythe respective support member and each second Vflange having a clearance slot extending from the respective corner and defining withthe respective inclined slot an upstanding nose portion at the respective corner having downwardly inclined sides, and downwardly extending detent means on the corner portion of each angle mem ber wedgingly ioverlying and engaging the respective nose portion whereby said transverse member isdetaehably mounted von said support members.

References Cited inthe 'le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,733,460 Kinder oet. 29, 1929 2,815,130 Franks Dec. 3, 19'5'7 2,932,368 sehen Apr. 12, 1960 2,937,767 Butler `May 24, 1960 

3. A DEMOUNTABLE RACK COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A PAIR OF HORIZONTALLY SPACED SUPPORT MEMBERS HAVING FACING FLANGES AND COPLANAR FLANGES EXTENDING THEREFROM, A TRANSVERSE MEMBER EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID SUPPORT MEMBERS AND HAVING AT ITS ENDS ANGLE SHAPED MEMBERS THE FLANGES OF WHICH OVERLIE THE FLANGES OF SAID SUPPORT MEMBERS, EACH ANGLE MEMBER HAVING A SUPPORT SECTION EXTENDING LATERALLY AND DOWNWARDLY FROM EACH FLANGE THEREOF, EACH FACING FLANGE OF EACH SUPPORT MEMBER HAVING A DOWNWARDLY INCLINED SLOT EXTENDING FROM ITS JUNCTION WITH ITS COPLANAR FLANGE, EACH COPLANAR FLANGE HAVING A 